The Truth About Guns

Now that Nick has weighed in on his experience with the Barnes 110 gr TAC-TX in his favorite caliber, I’m going to do the same for mine. In this case, the 80 gr. TTSX pill for my .243 WIN. First, a note on accuracy. When I went to Wyoming last year to attend a class at Gunwerks, Aaron Davidson opened things by saying that the best terminally performing bullet in the world is worthless if you can’t put it where you want it. Before I can evaluate a bullet in the real world, it has to put in some range time . . .

Using my Ruger M77 Mark II with a 1:9 twist barrel, I managed to see acceptable “hunting” accuracy from the Barnes loads. There are a couple of companies churning out high quality loads usi

By now you’ve probably seen this teaser ad floating through the nether regions of ballistic cyberspace. It may or may not be genuine. Either way, there’s likely to be more traffic at GLOCK’s SHOT Show booth than a Wally World Black Friday sale. Speculation as to exactly what the gun will be is all over the board, but seems to center on one of three variants: 1) A slim, single stack 9mm 2) something in .22 LR, or 3) a late-to-the-party .380 entry. I’ll take door number one, Monty. Whether the G42 is for real or some Photoshop jockey’s idea of a good time, Gaston’s group has to come out with a new gun some day, right? If and when, what will it be?

Once again, the family matriarch has banned me from saying anything about guns. “And you’re not bringing any paraphernalia with you are you?” The subject of firearms became verboten after a particularly nasty episode; a by-marriage family member caught site of my empty holster, gathered her brood in a panic and scarpered. She had firearms-related issues, to which I am entirely sympathetic. But I caught all the flak. No surprise there. I am the black sheep of the family; the “unstable” one who never settled down. And burned through two marriages when he did. And now my fascination with that which shall not be named. And yet I’m thankful for this ongoing antagonism . . .

My family’s opposition to my life’s work has prepared me for my labor on this website. I know what it’s like to argue with someone that isn’t listening

By Joseph Z.

If one word could summarize my father, it would be the deceptively simple title of “American.” As a boy fresh in his teen years, he sheltered his sister from their violently alcoholic mother, all while attending school where he could not participate in gym for lack of money to buy proper shoes. He was the first in his family to attend college, working every free hour to pay his way. By the time he married and I and my brother entered his life, he owned his own accounting business with multiple offices . . .

I remember a man who worked long hours to strengthen his business, yet was never too exhausted to for early morning walks with his young sons before another Saturday at work. I remember a man who sacrificed for his family but kept such a cheerful countenance that only as an adult did I realize all he gave for us. I remember a man who loved his country and the life he built

TTAG doesn’t spend a lot of time talking about handloading. That’s probably because it’s not really that much fun. Unless you’re some kind of Zen master, handloading isn’t something you do because you love to do it. It’s something you do because you love to do what handloading lets you do: shoot your guns exceptionally accurately or exceptionally cheaply. I tend to go in for the latter of these reasons, and these are not exactly (in the immortal lyrics of Dennis DeYoung) The Best Of Times for handloaders like me. Just a few years ago I sometimes had to drive 45 miles to hunt down the rumour of bulk primers or gunpowder in stock. Handloading components are now universally available again, but the economics of ammunition have changed and it’s not always cheaper to DIY . . .

Let’s look at three common rifle cartridges: 5.56x45mm NATO, .270 Winchester and 7.62x51mm NATO, an

By: Siege 

In my pursuit of undergraduate degrees and now a law degree, I have sat through my fair share of sensitivity lectures, diversity seminars, and presentations on emotional intelligence. Through this process, I have learned how radically different some people’s world views can be. Within the gun owning community, we have developed our own language and concepts which may not connect with those who do not share our experiences. The following are guidelines on how to present these concepts to those in the progressive community, gleaned from my time living amongst them . . .

Those who follow contemporary politics will be familiar with demographic trends and the so called “coalition of the ascendant.” Simplified, the theory is that an influx of

“We don’t have to convince the country. We have to convince the lawmakers.” – Americans for Responsible Solutions Executive Director Pia Carusone, Nearly a year after Sandy Hook, nation remains torn about what to do next [at cnn.com]

Think you know who permit-to-carry holders are? Twin Cities Gun Owners & Carry Forum, with the generous help of Crucible Arms, put together this short documentary showing a cross section of Minnesota’s permit-to-carry holders. . .

Chris had a post earlier today about George Zimmerman’s “large ammo stash” from his recent arrest. That arrest was for allegedly pointing a gun at his girlfriend. From legalinsurrection.com, this: “George Zimmerman’s girlfriend, Samantha Scheibe, who called 911 accusing Zimmerman of pointing a gun at her, has been shopping around for a national m

Republished from Second Call Defense [via jpfo.org]

When counseling our members on how to prepare for the aftermath of self defense, we tell clients to expect certain things:

Expect the police to treat you like a criminal.
Expect to be handcuffed.
Expect to be questioned at length.
Expect to have your words examined in detail.
Expect to be taken to jail.

It’s not that all these things will certainly happen, but . . .

we recommend that you expect them to happen.

I’d like to believe that Britney Spears is clever enough to exploit the Virginia Tech massacre for publicity. It wouldn’t be right (on any level) but it would indicate that the paparazzi-pursued pop diva possessed low animal cunning. Which is a form of intelligence. Alas, the fact that Ms. Spears wore a VT sweatshirt before shooting a shooting sequence in the video for her new video Perfume 2 is nothing more than a coincidence. The ensuing brouhaha tells u

Folks who’ve read some of my prior editorial articles know that I don’t always toe the 2A line as much as some of the other contributors to this site. It’s ironic, some might say, given my post a couple of weeks ago lambasting G&A’s Dick Metcalf for doing pretty much the same thing that I’m about to do. Before I launch into my latest apostasy, though, I do want to offer some context. G&A is an industry publication that supports the gun industry and is for sale – i.e. it’s consumers, us, exchange money to peruse it’s content. It is primarily a guns and gear magazine beholden to its advertisers to always say nice things about the stuff they review. Metcalf and the other writers understand this. They make their living catering to the firearm consumer . . .

The San Rafael city council recently passed an ordinance that makes it illegal to smoke in your own home. The excuse ‘logic’ for this breathtaking coup of social engineering is, you guessed it, ‘public health and safety.’ The same reasoning that brought you Prohibition, anti-sodomy laws and bans on interracial marriage now invites the police into your home to snuff out your Marlboro. Cigarettes probably don’t matter to most gun owners, so why should we care? . . .

Any Government With The Power To Give You Everything You Need, Also Has The Power To Take It Away

San Rafael’s shocking intrusion into private homes applies to all multi-family residence (condos, apartments, duplexes, co-ops) of three or more units, and to any unit which shares a common wall with another residence. The only homes you can smoke in are completely separate single-family homes.

Despite the fact that

By Beetle

In my article about the Savage Trials Pistol, I discussed how Savage and Colt had a final “shoot off” to see who would win the contract to be the standard issue military sidearm. We all know the result, the Colt fired 6000 rounds without issue while the Savage had 31 malfunctions and 5 parts breakages. Therefore, the Army awarded Colt the contract on March 29, 1911 to manufacture the M1911 (or Model of 1911). Even though the contract was awarded at the end of March, it took the government and Colt some time to get production up and running. There were lots of details to sort out including how the pistols should be marked, tested, and accepted by the government. In fact, only 50 pistols were made in 1911. Today collectors call these “first day of production” pistols – they are the only 1911s actually made in 1911.

By John Mauer

To say that my father and I aren’t close is like saying that RF and Diane Feinstein have a difference of opinion on matters of constitutionality.  Divorced when I was three, my parents lived on opposite sides of the state. With my mother having primary custody, visits were limited to weekends, some holidays, and scattered special occasions.  Asymptotically these visits became less frequent, replaced by even more intermittent phone calls, mailed gifts, and other detached well wishes. By the time I was nine it was more on the scale of once or twice a year, with the final recorded visit at age twelve when I was gravely ill.

In my formative years I was fortunate to have great influences on building my own character and constitution. My mother and step-father were encouraging when it came to guns and ownership, buying me my first rifle at thirteen. My best friend’s father took me under his wing as a

ShootingTheBull410 has just finished his exhaustive, intensive Ammo Quest for .380 ACP pocket pistols…gel has been cooked, shots have been fired, bullets have been weighed and measured and conclusions have been drawn. If you’re carrying (or considering carrying) an LCP, a TCP, or maybe the rumored new GLOCK 42, this might be useful information. Here’s a video summary of all the test results, a guide to how all the ammo performed and which were the clear winner(s).

The apparently never-ending George Zimmerman saga continues, having stepped off The Streetcar Named Self-Defense and boarded the Wives And Girlfriends Crazy Train. Officials have just released a list of the five guns that police removed from Zimmerman’s home after his latest arrest on November 18th . . .

Police seized an AR-15 with two magazines, along with a Glock 19, a .380, another 9mm, and a Kel-Tec KSG shotgun. All of the firearms were locked up when police arrived. They also found 106 rounds of ammunition, which, according to the LA Times, constitutes a “Large Ammo Stash.” In fact, that’s the title of the article: “Police find 5 guns, large ammo stash in George Zimmerman’s home.” (Click here, if you must, for the original story. The LA Times doesn’t list the specific firearms, but the

By Stan Harvey

Yes, I said it…now bear with me and resist the urge to grab a nearby trashcan for the nausea caused by hearing that oft-repeated phrase. Anti-gunners often try to monopolize terms, and I’m advocating we reclaim this one. In the dominant political squabble over guns and gun laws, a giant elephant in the room is totally ignored. In the patchwork collection of gun laws to come out of our government over the past century, hardly anyof it deserves to be called “common sense” . . .

This goes far beyond guns, it touches on basic American values under threat that most citizens can appreciate when the debate is framed in the proper way.  Many of us can relate to having a friend or family member who, despite being an otherwise rational person, succumbs to the fear based arguments against guns. In my experience, sometimes you can reach these people when you point out how totally inane or destructive most gun laws are, and the dangers to fr

If necessity is the mother of invention, the beginning of the Arab-Israeli war of 1948 was the mother of the UC-9. The State of Israel needed to consolidate its logistical nightmare of a small-arms arsenal into a single platform in order to arm itself against numerically superior Arab forces. Luckily for the imperiled fledgling country, Uziel Gal was ready to answer the call of duty . . .

When Gal was designing the stamped metal sub-gun that would become his namesake – an honor he was staunchly opposed to – he scarcely could have imagined that it would become one of the most iconic small arms of the 20th century with more than 10 million built. That’s not to say that the Uzi is the be-all end-al

The writing was on the wall. As the deadline approached, there seemed little doubt that the latest recall effort would gather the needed signatures to qualify for a vote. That left Centennial State Dems with two options: 1) let the vote happen and risk a third defeat along with the loss of control of the state senate or, 2) kick the social media maven to the curb, allowing Governor Hickenlooper to appoint another Democrat to the seat. Now, according to denverpost.com, they’ve chosen door number two . . .

“By resigning I am protecting these important new laws for the good of Colorado and ensur